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Gospel of Mark
“Jesus was not just a figure of the past, but also a figure of the present. You won’t find him in a tomb, won’t find him in the land of the dead; imperial execution and a rich man’s tomb couldn’t hold him, couldn’t stop him. God has raised and vindicated him--he lives and is Lord. This conviction, the foundation of early Christianity and the New Testament, is expressed with great economy in Mark’s Easter story. It’s all there. The tomb is empty. Jesus is still loose in the world” (Borg 154). Context The Gospel of Mark was believed to be written around the year 70 CE. It is the first narrative gospel (even with the potential existence of “Q”, which would be a collection of teachings/quotes). This also is the shortest known gospel, at sixteen chapters long. Mark is called a "wartime gospel", occuring during the aftermath of a revolt against Roman rule by Jewish revolutionaries in 66 CE. This was an important time for Jews and early Christians. There was an atmosphere that surrounded this chaotic time of an inevitable end near. The second coming of Jesus and thus a divine intervention from God during this period of intense hardship and wartime was a fate expected by Mark, Paul, their communities and many others during first-century Christianity. Overview PROLOGUE (1.1-15): *Opening verse: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” *Central theme of “the Way”: The words echo language from ancient Israel’s experience of exile in Babylon six centuries earlier. The way of the Lord Jesus is what it means to follow that way. *Second theme of the coming of the kingdom of God: Jesus’s mentor, John is arrested by the ruler of Galilee Herod Antipas (son of Herod the Great). This triggers Jesus’s public activity in Galilee, Jesus’s words, the “good news” gospel as the coming of the kingdom. *Jesus leaves home in Nazareth to be baptized by John the Baptizer where God’s voice speaks “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” *For forty days, Jesus was drove out into the wilderness by the Spirit and tempted by Satan. PART ONE (1.16-8.29): Galilee, where most of Jesus’s public activity happens. Calls disciples who leave everything (livelihood and family) to follow him. *Teaches “with authority” often using parables. *Performs supernatural acts and miracles **Demon exorcising **Heals people **Stills a storm on sea (twice) **Feeds with few loaves and fish (twice) *Scenes of conflict with Galilee authority foreshadow of conflict that will lead to Jesus’s crucifixion and death. PART TWO (8.30-10.52): Journey from Galilee to Jerusalem for Passover. Mentioned as “the Messiah” for the first time by Peter (8.27-30) *Jesus tells disciples that following him means to “take up their cross” to join him on “the way” that leads to Jerusalem, confrontation, death and resurrection. *Direct foreshadow: impending rejection and execution is discussed (9.30-32; 10.32-34) PART THREE (11.1-16.20): Jerusalem and Jesus’s final week, including confrontation with authorities, execution, and the discovery of the empty tomb. *Sunday: Jesus acts out a prophetic Old Testament text (Book of Zechariah) that speaks of a king of peace coming to Jerusalem on a donkey. *Monday: Jesus is said to have a “public prophetic protest” against the temple. *Tuesday: Jesus humiliates Jerusalem authority officials when challenged with a series of questions and threats to arrest him. *Wednesday: Jesus is betrayed by his friend and follower, Judas. *Thursday: the Last Supper occurs followed by a trip to the Garden of Gethsemane before Jesus is arrested. *Friday concludes Jesus’ life as his last day when he is condemned to death by crucifixion *After the Sabbath on Saturday, the book of Mark ends with Easter Sunday morning where Mary Magdalene, James and Salome go to Jesus’s tomb. They are met by a “young man dressed in a white robe” presumed to be an angel. He tells them that Jesus has been raised and that they will see Jesus in Galilee. Ideas Messianic Secret: Mark affirms that Jesus is “Son of God” and “messiah” but does not present the titles as part of the message of Jesus himself. Jesus commands demons who recognize him to be silent and for those he heals not to reveal how he did so. Jesus uses parables in his lessons to conceal his true message. Titles that exhalt him to a holy status are not part of public teaching and only mentioned in private (ex. 8.27-30 and 14.61-62). "The Coming of the Kingdom of God": The gospel of Mark was infused with a sense of "imminent eschatology" or about the nearby end of an age. This coming of the kingdom "with power" is synonymous with the coming of the Son of Man "with power" and is referring to the second coming of Jesus. This idea is perhaps better understood with the historical context and expectations of first-century Christians. No Appearance Story: The gospel of Mark does not possess a ressurrection scene like later Synoptic Gosepls, and instead ends with three women finding Jesus's tomb empty. A white-robed figure inside the tomb tells them to not be alrmed and that they will see Jesus in Galilee, "There you will see hi, just as he told you" (16.7). This is the city where Jesus began his demonstration of healing the sick and feeding the hungry. Many people interpret Mark's ressurrection-less version of the gospel as significant because it allows the reader to derive the essence of Jesus's message. Instead of looking for the typically defined "messiah", an anointed king to save the empire, first-century readers merely had to "go back to Galilee" to see Jesus and carry out his actions of healing and feeding the less fortunate.